Dad rescued daughter who fell from Disney cruise ship after mom alerted him: cops
The 5-year-old's fall — caused when she lost her balance while sitting on a railing and dropped backwards down a porthole — was instead seen by the mother, who 'alerted her husband, who didn't see the incident,' according to a Broward Sheriff's Office statement released Wednesday afternoon.
New details provided by BSO ruled out speculation on social media that the girl was propped on the railing by her father, who was taking pictures of her.
Some like TikTok user cmd.91, a passenger on the Disney Dream who witnessed the fall, were quick to defend the father, saying 'There has been no eyewitness that has come forward to say they saw the dad place the daughter in danger.'
The fall happened at 11:30 a.m. from the fourth deck of the Disney Dream while it sailed in international waters between the Bahamas and Port Everglades near Fort Lauderdale, officials say. Deck 4 is about 20 feet above the sea and has some large portholes, according to news reports.
The father, 37, jumped into the ocean to save his daughter. After treading water for nearly 20 minutes, the duo was rescued by crew members, who were launched from a tender on the ship. The ship's medical staff examined them.
'The Crew aboard the Disney Dream swiftly rescued two guests from the water. We commend our Crew Members for their exceptional skills and prompt actions, which ensured the safe return of both guests to the ship within minutes,' a Disney Cruise Line spokesperson told the Miami Herald in a statement Monday.
After the ship docked in Fort Lauderdale, the dad was taken to the hospital by Broward Fire Rescue for an injury sustained during the rescue.
Investigators haven't identified the father and daughter — or provided specifics of the dad's injury. The family, they say, had traveled out of state for the cruise vacation.
Detectives are still investigating the fall and what led up to it, BSO says, but they reviewed the ship's security footage and it lines up with the family and cruise staff's accounts of the incident.
The ship departed from Port Everglades and was returning from the Bahamas after a four-night cruise.
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